Polypharmacy in Skilled-Nursing Facilities

Updating the Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults

“…These criteria, though widely used, have been controversial because of their adoption by nursing home regulators and have been criticized at times as too simplistic and limiting the freedom of physicians to prescribe. [31][32][33][34][35] However, we believe that thoughtful application of the updated 2002 Beers criteria and other tools for identifying PIM use can enable providers and insurers to plan interventions aimed at decreasing drugrelated costs and overall health care costs, while reducing ADE-related admissions in elderly patients 9,30 and improving care. The updated Beers criteria will enable everyone from individual physicians to health care systems to integrate the new criteria-based prescribing recommendations into their organic, mechanical, and electronic information systems.…”